Something Like a Fairy Tale
by ShawThang
Summary: --COMPLETE-- BtVSPP-- Neverland isn’t the fantasy island Buffy always thought it would be.


**Title- **Something Like a Fairy Tale

**Author-** ShawThang

**Summary-** Neverland isn't the fantasy island Buffy always thought it would be.

**Rating-** PG

**Disclaimer-** Neither Buffy nor Peter belongs to me. If they did I'd take Buffy's super powers and run away to Neverland with Peter.

**Author's note-** What the…? Yes, I know. How on earth is a Buffy/Peter Pan crossover possible? Well, I've just watched the PP movie for the tenth time, and my warped mind came out with this. Just a bit of fun, really. And a huge tuckload of flowers for my wonderful beta, Rylee, who proofread this story. Kudos to her!

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**Something Like a Fairy Tale**

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Peter's face darkened. "Buffy, Neverland is not the delightful place you hear about in those tales."

"I suddenly have more respect for Wendy," Buffy replied, glancing at the dense, misty forest that stood before her. Shadows draped themselves from the trees, casting a thick darkness across the forest floor. Long, sharp thorns clung to the low sprawled plants, standing erect as though daring one to pass. The lofty, gnarled trees enclosed the darkness and the grey canopy shielded the woods from the eerie shafts of moonlight. As Buffy peered into the obscure shadows she saw fleeting movements, as if the plants were shifting because of her presence, or the dark creatures felt her coming.

"It is a dark place, filled with peril and foul things. The sun is harsh and unrelenting, and the rain is even worse. The sea has a malicious mind of its own. The forests crawl with unspeakable creatures, things that seek you out and crave for your blood."

Buffy's mind spun as her favourite childhood fairytale was ripped apart. "But what about the pirates and fairies? The mermaids? The Indians?"

"The pirates have no compassion," Peter answered, watching her carefully; he was still unsure of whether he could trust her. "They are the empty shells of men broken by greed and lust. As for the fairies, they live in fear of the things that hunt them. They hide beneath the ground, driven there by the desires of the pirates and creatures that crave their magic. The mermaids are not the pretty beings you see them as. They sing for only one thing- death."

She scowled, shaking her head. "Can't I get whisked away to a place where dogs and cats play nice and little cupids dance on the clouds?" she muttered.

"I'm sorry?" Peter raised his eyebrows, trying to make sense of her murmurings. Buffy glanced up and smiled wryly.

"Never mind. So how do you get out of this place?"

"There is only one way in or out of Neverland," Peter answered, but without elaborating he spun on his heel and stalked into the forest.

Buffy watched him go with rising alarm. "Uh, Peter? Where're you going?"

He paused a few feet into the foliage and shot her a confused look. "Into the forest."

"But, uh…" she trailed off, wishing that she could be in a cemetery rather than here. Anywhere but here. "Oh, bugger it." As she resignedly followed him she wondered when she had picked up some of Spike's lingo. Definitely from Dawn, she told herself. They trooped into the wood, following a path she could neither see nor understand. Peter took her past trees that seemed to bend toward them ominously, and over roots that appeared out of nowhere. Vines tried to wrap themselves around her neck as she went. The forest either wanted to keep them out, or keep them in. "So where exactly are we going?"

"The Indians."

Buffy scrambled over a fallen log and promptly tripped over a hidden rock. "And why are we going to the Indians?" She was becoming frustrated at the simple answers she received and felt like she was talking to a child. Rising to her feet, she shot a dry grin at his back. She _was _talking to a kid. The most famous of them all. The most envied of them all- the one who would never grow up. She would never understand Peter's wish to remain young and his reluctance to become an adult. She had spent most of her life praying that she would be given the chance to grow up. Most Slayers remained children forever; when you died at fifteen you were immortalized.

She knew she was very different to Peter, yet in some respects they were so alike. Both of them were leaders, generals to whom others looked for guidance. They both spent their lives fighting and surviving: she against vampires, and he against Hook and the pirates. They both knew what it was like to be forced to give up the people they loved. The love between sheand Angel would never overcome the fact that he was immortal and she was not, and he had let her go and given her the chance to grow in adult life with someone who would grow old with her. Riley couldn't fit in with the life she led, while Spike… Well, he had been taken from her. Peter, on the other hand, had let Wendy return home. He had let her go and although he couldn't understand the desire to become an adult he did understand that it was the best thing for her.

"Your presence here has disturbed the forest. I can feel it."

Buffy sighed and kept walking. "I seem to do that wherever I go."

Peter pretended not to hear her, and came to a stop in front of a tall cliff face. He gazed up the jagged surface, following the chaotic crisscrossing of ivy that clung to the stone. Glancing over his shoulder he assured himself that Buffy was catching up, and leapt into the sky. Rising quickly, he saw her eyebrows knit and a flash of annoyance pass across her features.

"Hey, super-boy, you going to give me a hand?" But Peter didn't turn back and kept flying upward until he reached the top of the cliff. Then he disappeared from view and she gaped in disbelief. He was just going to abandon her? In a forest that already had something against her? Her shoulders slumped in defeat. Why her?

Clenching her fists in frustration she studied the wall, considering her options. Rocks jutted out in a constant pattern up the face, and the ivy felt thick and strong in her hand. She could climb up rather easily. But it was the knowledge that she could have been carried up by a flying wonder boy that grated her nerves. Grumbling, she set her concentration upon the rock face.

By the time she reached the ledge far above she was scratched, bleeding and fuming. Pulling herself over the edge she saw another cliff face to her left and a huge, wide tree grew in the clump of soil a few meters in front of it. She saw something flicker at the top of the second cliff face, and driven on by an intense desire to beat her childhood hero to a bloody pulp Buffy quickly calculated the fastest way up there. Assuring herself that there wasn't much of a chance of her plummeting to the ground far below, she sprinted toward the tree. Leaping up at the last moment she grasped onto the thick branch protruding from the trunk and using the momentum of her swing, she propelled herself into the air and onto the second ledge.

Peter sat cross-legged on the ground a few yards away, playing contently on his pipes. Buffy stared at him, her anger boiling, and he finally lifted his head.

"You made it," he noted, pocketing his pipes and rising to his feet.

"Yes, I did," she said through clenched teeth. "Now you can explain what that little stunt was before I pummel you."

Peter merely smiled and leapt into the air. "Imagine my position. A strange woman appears in Neverland who speaks funny and claims she is a 'slayer' where she comes from. She yells curses at the sky for playing around with her life and mutters weird things about demons and monsters and wanting to strangle a 'xander' for telling her about a 'dawn's' boyfriend while on the hunt and distracting her."

Buffy waited for his point, staring at him blankly.

"I'm not exactly going to trust you on your word," he clarified, and Buffy realized her little escapade up the cliff was a test.

"So you didn't believe me when I said I was a _good_ Slayer?" She pulled a small rock out of her palm, remembering her reaction upon falling from the sky and landing on a boy clad in nothing but leaves and shreds of leather. It didn't exactly scream sanity and goodness. She thought she reacted fairly well for being bitten by a demon and waking up while falling from the sky in a world that wasn't even hers. If Xander hadn't distracted her she'd be warm and comfy in her bed, dreaming about fairytales instead of starring in one. Yet she was trekking through forests intent on stopping her, climbing cliffs because a little boy who could fly didn't trust her, and on her way to meet with Indians who would probably roast her alive.

"It's not wise to trust anything around here," Peter replied, his eyes hardening.

"Yeah, I see that now," Buffy said.

"But you say you have… super powers?" Peter asked, hesitating over the strange words.

"Well, I'm not super woman or anything, but I'm pretty strong."

"And this 'spider sense'?" Peter's lips twisted in doubt. "How do you sense a spider exactly?"

Buffy bit on her lip to stop herself from smiling. "It's just a figure of speech. I can sense when evil's 'round. Mostly works with vampires, though."

Peter's brow knitted and he frowned. "Vampires?" Before Buffy could explain a dazzling glow erupted from the trees and flitted around Peter's head. He grinned. "Hello Tink."

Buffy's mouth dropped open as the spitfire fairy squeaked back and cast fairy dust everywhere. Tinkerbelle froze when she saw Peter's companion, but then recovered and zipped toward the blonde slayer. Buffy, recalling the fairy's jealous streak with Wendy, held up her hands as a sign of surrender.

"Don't worry, I'm not after your boy," Buffy said hastily. Tink stopped short, a mere inch from Buffy's nose and seemed to be contemplating her words. "I'd rather strangle him than give him a thimble." Finally assured that Buffy spoke the truth Tink gave a nod of satisfaction and patted her on the nose. Buffy felt utterly ridiculous.

Peter was smiling broadly. "She likes you. She doesn't usually like girls."

"Well it's lucky I'm not just a _girl_ then, isn't it?" Buffy replied. "And I don't like you very much at the moment either, so there's no reason for her to feel jealous."

Peter laughed and whispered something to the fairy. Tink zipped back toward her and Buffy took a step back, but the fairy passed straight over her.

"Now Buffy, what would make you happy?"

Buffy rolled her eyes. "Pushing you off the edge and making _you _climb all the way back up."

But her thoughts were wandering to a small cottage in the middle of the woods, where Dawn and Andrew would cook up a storm after researching and Xander would craft a set of swings and Willow would study by correspondence. Then her mind moved to the book shelf in the study, which hid a winding staircase that led to a colossal underground training complex where she trained young girls and taught them to survive. She recalled the happiness that radiated from that small cottage when Giles would come for a visit, bringing new Watchers who would be assigned a Slayer. She thought of the pride, the satisfaction she gained in watching her students work together to raze through a vampire nest.

She shook herself from her thoughts and noticed that Peter looked decidedly shorter than he had moments ago. Noticing his smirk she felt the sudden pang of worry settle over her, and looking down realized her worry was not in vain. She hovered at least four feet above the ground. She froze, not knowing what else to do, and prayed that she wouldn't be repeating her earlier fall from the sky. Peter threw his head back and chuckled, his own feet lifting from the ground with practised ease. Then he turned and soared higher, leaving her anxious and stuck. Tink held her stomach as she giggled, but then the fairy whizzed after Peter.

Buffy gritted her teeth, closed her eyes and gave a sharp kick. She felt the wind whip her hair back and her breath catch in her throat. When she opened her eyes she saw Peter flying beside her, a content expression on his face. Beneath her lay the forest, extending almost to the sea on one side and to the mountain on the other. She felt a rush of exhilaration as the ground flew by beneath her, and she loved the freedom flying gave her. She felt like she could go anywhere, see anything…

"Down there," Peter said, pointing to a clearing that sat upon another cliff. The clearing looked out onto the ocean, and it was peppered with thin, leafy trees. In the centre of the clearing sat a half circle of pale tents that finished in a point and were held up with carved, wooden poles. She finally caught on.

"Indians!"

Peter suddenly careened to the left and executed a perfect spin and dive. He was shooting downwards too fast for Buffy to follow with her eyes, and not wanting to be left hanging in the sky, she followed him. Her descent was not as fast as Peter's but her style was impressive for one flying for the first time. The ground loomed before her and she pulled up short, earning herself a bemused eyebrow-raising from Peter.

"Quick learner," he said.

Buffy snorted. "Just a natural."

She felt a shift in the air and as she spun on one foot she slammed the other one into the chest of an Indian, pinning her to a tree. Gasping in shock, the young girl stared at Buffy in fear. Buffy hastily lowered her foot, apologies streaming from her lips, ensuring that she hadn't hurt the girl. A kick like that could break the sternum of a vampire, and she was afraid that she may have injured the poor Indian. As Buffy fearfully checked over her victim, she didn't notice the circle of Indians that surrounded her, and she was only alerted of their presence when one of them shouted at her in a language she didn't understand.

When she saw the spears all pointed in her direction, her first thought was to look for Peter. When she couldn't find him, her second thought was to throttle Peter. She backed away from the girl and attempted to smile and appear innocent, yet it only urged them on, and as the sharp metal heads of the spears advanced, she tried to think happy thoughts. But she discovered that it is nearly impossible to think happy thoughts when surrounded by blood-thirsting Indians, who were at that moment intent on killing her. Just as one of them pulled his arm back to launch the spear at her she was hit by a thought that lifted her into the air.

Tying Peter Pan up and throwing him to the croc that devoured Hook.

She shot upwards, glancing over her shoulder and watching the Indians shaking their fists at her. And behind them, rolling on the ground with laughter was Peter. How could one boy be so impossibly annoying? He was almost rivalling Dawn, and she had only known him for one day!

Peter stood up and spoke to them in their language, his words interrupted with chuckles. One of the Indians wore a huge, feathered headpiece, and she supposed that he was the 'chief'. Peter beckoned her down, and still shaking with anger she descended, landing hesitantly beside the girl she hadattacked.

"I haven't had this much fun in ages!" Peter cried, spinning in the air above her.

"I'm glad I amuse you so," she grumbled.

Peter landed between her and the Indian girl. "Buffy, this is Tiger Lily." He turned to Tiger Lily and spoke to her and her father in another language, and Buffy waited impatiently for the exchange to end. Peter finally turned to her and said: "They've agreed to the plan."

Buffy clenched her fists. "And what exactly is the plan?"

Peter blinked. "To find out if you can go home, of course."

"_If _I can go home?" she asked with surprise. "Why _if? _There was never an _if _involved. It was always _when _I go home or _how _I should go home; _if _was never part of the equation."

Peter ignored her and allowed himself to be led away by the men, disappearing into one of the larger tepees. Buffy sighed and sank to the ground. Resting her back against a thick tree trunk, she closed her eyes and resigned herself to a lengthy wait. Her muscles felt tight and her body felt drawn, as though she was being stretched too thin. It had almost been a day since she had been bitten back in Rome. She recalled the dizziness that had assailed her, then the helpless panic that had gripped her when her eyesight had started to recede. She had been plunged into darkness, petrified and thrilled as the possibility of death hit her. But when the bright light suddenly flashed before her, it wasn't the welcoming gates of heaven but the harsh glare of the sun in Neverland.

The fall had evoked horrific memories of her plunge of the tower, but this time she'd been alive when she hit the ground. At least she'd had some sort of cushioning, albeit a rather reluctant one. The shock she'd received upon finding a boy clad in leaves beneath her almost rivalled the announcement of Dawn's boyfriend. Almost. She remembered Peter's face when she leapt off him and began her little rant. Maybe_ little _wasn't the best word to describe it- utter lunacy seemed fitting. It didn't take long for her to realize that the boy in front of her was Peter Pan, and the land she had fallen into was Neverland, although why and how she had come to be there was still a mystery.

A lengthy argument with the lost boys had followed, mainly over whether she should become their new 'mother' or whether she should be killed. Naturally, Peter wanted her dead. The dispute had only ended when she accidentally kicked down a tree in her frustration. After that she'd been the centre of the lost boys' awe and fascination and begged for stories while Peter sulked on a nearby rock. Buffy had been grateful when he ordered the boys back to their hunt and led her to the forest. His authority over the boys reminded her of herself and the potentials.

Buffy became aware of being watched, and her eyes snapped open. Tiger Lily sat with her legs crossed a few yards away, staring intently at her. Buffy held the girl's gaze but shifted uncomfortably.

"Why did he bring you here?" she asked softly.

"Here? He didn't bring me here." She glanced up at the clouds wryly. "I fell out of the sky."

Tiger Lily cocked her head, with an expression that clearly showed she was deciding whether to believe Buffy or not. "He brought _her _here."

"Her?" Buffy's eyebrows furrowed in confusion. "Who… Oh. Wendy?"

She didn't miss the pain that flashed through the Indian girl's eyes.

"Yes. Wendy." Buffy heard the bitterness and melancholy in Tiger Lily's voice, and felt her heart go out to the poor girl.

"He brought her here, and now she'll always be here," Tiger Lily whispered. "In his head and in his heart. After she left he was so...different. When he laughed he suddenly went quiet and looked towards the sky. When he smiled it never seemed to reach his eyes. He didn't fly as much. His pain was almost tangible. I couldn't bear it if he had to go through all that again."

"I won't hurt him again," she assured, then playfully added. "I wouldn't go anywhere with Peter voluntarily. And- hey! When did you start speaking English?"

Tiger Lily smiled slightly. "Peter taught me." Then she stood and walked away, and that was the last time Buffy saw her.

As the glaring sun began its downward descent, Buffy started to drift off. She dreamt of flying and falling, of chains and swords and a horrible squawking that drowned out all the other noises. She started to get dizzy, as though she was being rocked. It felt almost like seasickness, although she'd never been on a boat. Her name was being called out. _Buffy…Buffy…_

"Buffy!" She snapped awake. Peter hovered over her, hands on his hips, grinning down at her. "Time to go!"

"Already?" she asked, wearily rubbing her eyes." I thought you said it would take hours to decide whether I could go home."

"It did," he replied. Glancing up she noticed that the sun had almost touched the horizon.

"Oh."

Peter zipped back into the sky, and with a strenuous kick she raced after him. After a moment, she caught up with him and tried to speak above the wind.

"So?" she asked, turning her head to face him. "What did the Chief decide?"

"You'll be able to pass through, except I have no idea where you live and I doubt you'll be able to show me the way."

"I know my way around Rome," Buffy argued, indignant at the arrogance of such a young boy.

Peter smirked and pointed to a dull speck in the sky. "From there?"

She stared and eventually shrugged. "So maybe I don't. But at the moment I don't really care. I just want to get back to my own world even if I do end up in Australia."

"Alright then. Hold on. I'll-" But Peter was interrupted as a deafening boom resounded from far below. He pushed her out of the way just in time and as she spun through the air, she saw the cannon ball rip through the clouds she'd been flying past. She looked down in alarm and saw a tendril of smoke curling above a huge ship. Buffy stared, wide-eyed, feeling her heart race with the possibility…

"It couldn't be…" she whispered.

"But it is," Peter replied dully. "The one and only."

Buffy felt a predatory smile appear on her lips, and knew that her eyes were twinkling with anticipation.

"Hook."

"Captain James Hook," Peter affirmed.

"I thought he died. Didn't he get eaten by the crocodile?"

Peter shook his head. "A common mistake. He got bitten a lot and injured badly, but he wasn't killed. He's the only pirate with his wits still about him. The only pirate worth fighting."

"And that's my type of pirate," Buffy declared.

"I don't think you understand… Hook is dangerous. He's cunning, quick and manipulating."

"Well, I'm pretty sure I can be dangerous, and I'm sometimes known to be cunning. I'm sure I could beat him in a foot race if it came down to speed, and I don't manipulate so much as distract with witty puns."

Peter stared at her blankly.

Buffy sighed. "You can have Hook then, but leave the rest to me."

Peter contemplated her challenge. "Last one down there is a codfish."

They tore through the sky so quickly that a loud whistling could be heard as the wind parted before them. Two specks plummeted towards the sea, aiming for the famous pirate ship. Buffy saw the skulls painted on the sails, and the tall masts that held them up. She noted the alignment of the ropes and planks and the width of the deck. She concluded her quick assessment with one sentence: this was going to be fun.

Peter soared around the ship with practised ease, but Buffy landed in the cockpit and a well-aimed punch landed her an unconscious pirate and a nifty sword. Rising into the air again, she finally laid her eyes on the infamous Captain.

Captain James Hook was exactly as she had imagined him. Dark-hair, rough skin, wily eyes… and a sharp, silver hook instead of a hand. He followed Peter with his gaze, coldly calculating whether today would finally be the day that he defeated his foe. Peter swooped down to the deck teasingly, artfully dodging the pirates' wild swords. Buffy watched in amusement as he dipped and weaved, sweeping one pirate's feet from beneath him. The pirate stumbled back and bowled over another three coming forward. Realizing that Peter was having all the fun and she was only watching, Buffy grabbed onto a loose rope, gave it a hard tug and prayed that it wouldn't snap. She closed her eyes and pushed off from the decking, feeling the wind whip her hair back as she swung in a wide arch.

She opened her eyes and saw the ship approaching fast. Allowing the rope to slip through her fingers Buffy curled up and hit the deck mid-somersault and finally rose to her feet.

"It looks easy on _Pirates of the Caribbean_," she muttered. When she finally regained her balance, she shot a swashbuckling grin at the pirate running towards her. His sneer faded and he faltered in his attack. Taking advantage of his uncertainty, Buffy thrust her sword forward, and when he lifted his own to parry her blow, she suddenly froze and dropped to the deck. The pirate behind her had swung the sword at her head and was unable to stop. He stumbled with the momentum, carrying his sword into his comrade.

The rest of the fight was exhilarating. After spending almost nine years fighting against the supernatural strength and senses of vampires and demons, battling with pirates was almost like child's play. When she hit them they fell down, and these pirates actually _stayed _down. For uncountable minutes, Buffy threw herself into the fight, allowing the burn of battle to rage within her. And then another pirate attacked her, but all she could focus on was the eye patch. _Xander. _He was alone with the monster. When she had disappeared she had left him alone, and she couldn't imagine how he could have escaped unless he had run as soon as she vanished. But she knew Xander well enough to know that he would never leave her when there was still a chance of getting her back.

If not for Peter, the pirate would have slit her throat. Peterswooped quickly, knocking the one-eyed pirate back with a well aimed kick and shot Buffy a patent glance of confusion. She shook her head and resumed the fight, but the feeling of euphoria was gone. She leapt onto the edge of the ship, and thought of finding Xander waiting when she returned. With a quick prayer she took a deep breath and leapt off the ship, hoping that she wouldn't be wringing the sea water from her clothes in a moment. But the free falling sensation ceased, and when she opened her eyes again, she found herself hovering in the air. Peter zipped toward her, laughing jovially as the pirates yelled for retribution and saluting Caption Hook as he shook his fist angrily.

"That was fun," he commented as they rose once more into the sky.

Buffy couldn't help but grin. "It certainly took the edge off being in a fairytale."

"You haven't been in a fairytale yet," he replied, with a knowing smile. Tinkerbelle flew up beside them.

"What do you mean by that?"

"You'll see."

And she did see. She saw something that she had never seen the likes of before, and almost certainly would never see again. Something so beautiful and terrifying and wondrous that it left her breathless and aching for more. For Tinkerbell had taken her and Peter deep into the forest, so deep that she feared they would never find their way back out, and she had followed the fairy until she paused before a cluster of rocks. She watched curiously as Peter approached them and startled when he seemed to vanish into thin air. She hadn't read the story of Peter Pan for a good number of years, but she was fairly sure he couldn't become invisible. It wasn't until he appeared again that she realized what had happened. The rocks were placed in such a way, that unless one stood directly beside a certain boulder, they would not be able to see the slight opening. Now that she had seen it though, the illusion did not affect her and she followed him into the slim gap.

She found a small hole in the ground, where moss-covered, stone steps led into the earth. As the ivy-drenched stone walls rose on both sides of her and the little light that had filtered into the forest disappeared, she felt an uneasy feeling of something dark and unnatural surrounding her. The darkness pressed onto her as they descended, and she wanted to tell Peter that they shouldn't be here except her voice wouldn't work. It felt as though speaking would disturb some dark being that really did not like being disturbed. So she remained silent and continued to follow Peter into the depths of the earth. Peter finally paused and she slumped with relief when her feet hit uneven soil.

Her sight had become accustomed to the darkness and she saw Peter's outline a few steps ahead of her. He pointed to a door that she hadn't noticed, and as she drew closer she noticed a faint green glow emitted forth. It grew brighter as she approached, and her gaze studied the delicate carvings that had been inscribed into the frame around the entrance. They looked ancient, at least to Buffy's slightly-less-than-well-trained eye.

She finally found her voice. "What is this place?"

"The one place that still remains a secret on this island, even to me." Peter paused for good measure, as Tinkerbelle reappeared in front of them. "This is the Hidden Cave."

She waited for him to continue, but he seemed to think that was enough. "And?"

He cocked his head with a questioning frown. "And what?"

"And what's in there?" she goaded him.

He grinned, his white teeth dazzling in the darkness. "The Fairies."

He walked through the doorway, and she took a deep breath before following him. She realized there was no point in inhaling when her breath was taken away by what lay before her. No words could describe what beauty she beheld, and she felt her chest constrict as she tried to wrap her mind around it.

Uncountable stone steps led away from her, into caverns carved into smooth rock. They were filled with flickering soft lights,of blues and greens and pinks and purples. Fairies, she realized. Small outcrops were cut into the tall walls, and she could see fairies moving around inside them. Green curtains of woven moss covered most, and they lent the underground dwelling a sweet, fresh smell. Huge lanterns were suspended from woven ropes, twirling into the abyss so far above her head that she could not see the top. A haunting song lifted into the air, and the tiny lights began to form circles and sway and move. Buffy realized the fairies were dancing.

"They are dancing for you. To welcome you."

Buffy didn't know what to say. She stepped down and watched as the fairies paired off and began to dance. For so many years Buffy's life had been shadowed in darkness and bereft of beauty. As a child she had dreamt of a life of fantasy, as all children do, but it was the magical creatures that had enraptured her. The unicorns, the sprites, the dragons… and the fairies. But her fantasies had been ripped away and she was handed a life of nightmares instead. Her adult life was a mockery of her childhood dreams. Her unicorns and sprites and dragons and fairies were replaced with demons and dark creatures, and suddenly, her world was no longer magical. It was corrupted.

She had few bright spots- her friends, her lovers, her sister, and those few fading memories of heaven. But they were all tinged with darkness- her friends had died or moved on, her lovers were gone, her sister was growing up and further away from her, and her days in heaven seemed centuries past. She had begun to wonder whether there was any beauty left in the world.

Maybe that's what had brought her here. Maybe this vacation was to show her that not everything was bad and stained by the portions of darkness and evil.

Buffy gazed at the dancing fairies. _Or maybe the guys upstairs tried to screw with my life again, and this time, luck was on my side._

The dancers were getting closer to her, and she could see each individual fairy. They were lovelier than she thought. Most had long hair, threaded with leaves and flowers and moss. Their gowns and clothes glistened as though made of water, and their faces were flawless. She felt something brush her hand, and when she looked over she found Peter hovering beside her, reaching for her hand. She jerked suddenly and glanced down, and understood that the fairies were not getting closer to her; she was going to them. As she relaxed Peter grinned at her and pulled her higher into the caverns.

He held her hand above her head and twirled her around. She laughed as she spun through the air, throwing her head back as the lilting laughter of Tinkerbelle and her kin joined her. They danced around her and she spread her arms out wide, still flying in gentle circles.

As Buffy danced she felt something inside her shift and settle in her chest. Warmth spread slowly throughout her body, and an age-old ache faded into nothing. And she finally knew what it was like to be content.

Peter was in front of her again, and he reached out his hand. Buffy, smiling, reached out and took it, and he led her upward. She glanced down at the dancing fairies for the last time, and saw a waterfall of colour and light, and then she was facing upward as the two of them flew up into the abyss. They gathered speed and flew faster and faster until the walls fell away and they burst into the night sky.

"I've got to take you home now, Buffy."

"I know, Peter."

"I'm glad you came."

"I'm glad to be here."

"Will you come again?"

"No."

"Didn't think so. Ready?"

"Always am."

Tinkerbelle, perched behind the leaves of a white flower, watched as a bright light sped across the sky and disappeared. She nodded once, and then flew off into the wonders of Neverland.

Xander stared at the spot where Buffy had disappeared, and debated whether to call Giles, to run away very fast, or to think up a plan and save her himself. He lifted the stake, then lowered it, and shifted his weight onto his right leg. He opened his mouth to call her name, but since she'd just tumbled headfirst into a portal, he couldn't see how it would help. He lifted his hand and scratched his chin- once… twice. Something flashed across the sky and he glanced up at the falling star. And realized it was falling right on top of him.

He dove to his left only seconds before it collided with the earth. He covered his head with his arms and waited for the big explosion and inescapable pain. They never came. When he finally gathered the courage to lift his head, he found Buffy standing there, her hands on her hips, her foot tapping the ground impatiently and a pointed look on her face.

"Hey Buff," he said, bewildered. "When did you get back?"

She rolled her eyes. "What do you mean get back? You were telling me about Dawn's boyfriend and then you dived onto the ground and covered your head. Which, by the way, I'm still waiting for you to explain."

Xander rose to his feet and stared at her. "But the blue portal thingy- I saw it. You… It… The star…" He looked into the still, black sky.

"Xander, I really wonder about you sometimes," she said.

"I… uh…Hmm?" He shrugged his shoulders and offered her a confused smile.

Buffy walked over to him and turned him around, giving him a light shove in the back. She glanced at the twinkling stars and smiled when one of them flashed.

"Come on, Xand. We need to finish this cemetery before one. And what do you mean Dawn stayed at her boyfriend's house last night?"

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**The End**

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**Now all you need to do is click on that little button titled SUBMIT REVIEW and type away!**


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